The Frog and the Scorpion
by Maus17
Summary: The disease had various cures, he knew, which ranged from a glass of warm milk to perhaps a few extra pillows and blankets- or a simple and aimless conversation. He had one cure in mind, however, that he preferred at the moment.


_**Small drabble about a brother/sisterly moment with Mausy and Leo. Enjoy the fluff. :3**_

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The hedge-girl stared up at her ceiling miserably, limp and exhausted. Her limbs seemed to consist of thousand pound weights, her eyes felt heavy and sore to the point where they were watery and pink around the edges, but no matter how hard she tried, she simply could not make them close long enough to get absorbed into the realm of sleep- a task that was always incredibly difficult for her. Without having to look, she already knew there would be dark purple circles framing her eyes the next day- something that was frustratingly common for her.

When she consulted him about this- the sleepless nights and sudden bouts of uncalled for apprehension and anxiety that rattled her to the core- Donatello called it chronic insomnia. Her brain and body systems were having a difficult time resorting homeostasis and letting the body relax into a state that would allow it to enter R.E.M successfully. Maus knew what that meant, but she didn't dare try to think about it at the moment- she was sure her head would explode.

The purple masked ninja called it chronic insomnia- but she labeled it as Torture. Not Bein able to sleep at night, waking up and being a zombie during the day, stuck in this half awake state, only to stumble to bed and find herself staring at the ceiling for countless insufferable hours...it was a never ending cycle.

Donnie, however, didn't prescribe any sleeping pills. No muscle relaxants, no mind-numbing mixtures that would ease her journey to the Land Of Nod.

Nope. Nothing.

"You just need to relax," he'd told her, blinking at her through the protective goggles that magnified his hazel orbs of sight.

Boy, did she feel pissed about the answer he gave her at the moment. Boy, did she hate him for that.

Not completely, though. Maus could never hate her brotherly figure sincerely. Intense annoyance and frustration, maybe. Full-on hate? Nah...

Relax? Wasn't lying in bed supposed to be freaking relaxing? Then why was she still awake, damn it?

Sleep deprivation made the small hedgehog mutant irritable, and despite the fact that her body was screaming in protest, she sat up and swung her legs to the side of the bed, standing. Almost instantly, she regretted her decision.

A wave of dizzying nausea hit her and she wobbled for a bit, blinking as she desperately tried to make the word stop spinning. Maus heaved a shaky sigh as her vision refocused and stumbled out of her dark room, opening the door a small crack before shuffling out into the hall.

The lair was silent and dark, a slight nighttime chill in the air. Maus tip-toed down the stairs quietly, stopping every now and then to make sure everyone was asleep. Loud, raucous snores came from Raphael's room, and the soft sound of sleepy mumbling wafted from Mikey's door. As she passed Donatello's lab, she thought she saw his figure slouched over the desk, face pressed against a notebook.

In spite of herself, Maus smiled. She paused on the last step, letting the chill of the stone seep into her small feet as she listened to the sounds of sleep drift around her. She was satisfied with the fact that at least her brothers were safe and getting some rest.

Rubbing her eyes, she padded quietly to the living room, plopping noiselessly onto the couch and sinking gratefully into the cushion as if the two minute walk was similar in length to the Odyssey. That's what it felt like, anyhow.

He had been meditating in the dojo, something he frequently did at night to put his mind at ease and make sleeping a simpler task. It was relaxing, soothing, and it improved his focus skills. Leonardo Hamato sat on his mat in the lotus position, hands curled neatly in his lap, eyes closed, his spine erect. His mind was currently a blank slate- clear and wiped clean of all distractions.

He knew it was late, but the turtle had things on his mind he needed to dispel before letting himself slumber. He was almost done anyhow, and would retreat to the comfortable darkness of his room soon.

It was then, in the middle of his focused trance, that he heard it- the noise. Leo didn't know why his ears had even picked up the sound- it was quiet and hardly audible, swallowed by the lair's darkness and nighttime peace. It reached his ears all the same, and the focus he had been building for the past hour shattered.

Too tired to keep trying, the blue masked turtle conceded defeat and sighed as his eyes opened. Oh well. There was always tomorrow.

Standing, he blew out the candle that had provided him with a small amount of light and walked out of the dojo cautiously, looking around. Snores and deep breathing filled his ears, faint in the distance, but nothing else stirred. Leonardo narrowed his eyes into brown slits and stepped out slowly, letting the Dojo's door slide shut behind him with a soft click.

Instinctually, he followed his feet to the living room, and stopped short, blinking.

Sitting on the couch was a small humanoid hedgehog mutant, her velvety ears plastered to the sides of head as she squinted, blue gray irises slits as she gazed into nothingness, a tired and brooding expression on her face- Maus.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he asked, crossing his arms sternly as he looked down at her. Maus blinked in surprise, jumping slightly at the sound of his voice, then looked up at him.

What the- oh. Leo. She gazed up at the turtle, his silhouette faint in the darkness.

"I can say the same for you, Fearless," she said quietly, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. Maus was in no mood for scolding at the moment, and the eldest turtle could see that. Leonardo sat next to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked so tired and miserable about it that he couldn't help but feel pity. Instead of giving her one of the usual long and reprimanding harangues, he decided to leave that for later.

"Couldn't sleep again?" he asked, a small smirk on his face when she eyed him sarcastically.

"Naw, Leo. I like wandering around the house for no reason at unholy hours of the night. It's fun- try it sometime," she replied sardonically, scoffing and letting a slow, tired smile onto her lips. The turtle let out a soft chuckle, nudging her.

"I'll take that as a yes," he laughed quietly. She nodded and was silent for a few seconds before glancing back at him through half open eyes.

"You?"

"Hm?"

"What're you doing up?"

"Mediating."

"Dude- seriously?" she questioned, sitting up straight and frowning at him sleepily. "Do that in the daytime or something."

Leo shrugged. He didn't have much room to make an argument- or energy, truth be told.

"I had things to think about," he answered simply. Maus let out a soft "Mmm..." before letting her head rest on the couch cushion again. Leonardo, at a sudden loss for words, let his mind wander for things that would ease the rodent's tired mind. And suddenly, a thought struck him.

"How about a story?" he offered.

"A wha?"

"A story."

"...mmph. Mkay," Maus decided. Leo stood and stretched.

"Under one condition," he said, crossing his arms again, a smirk of triumph in his face. Maus raised an eyebrow and frowned, lifting her head.

"What?" she asked bluntly. Leo took her small hand and lifted her up off the couch.

"Go to bed," he commanded gently, pushing her towards her room as he followed behind her. "It'll help you sleep."

Unwilling to believe anything could help her sleep at the moment, the hedgehog merely scoffed and stumbled up the stairs, reluctantly flopping down onto the mattress. She watched blearily as her big brother settled down on the corner of the bed, hands clasped together pensively. She waited, somewhat impatient.

"This one," he began in a quiet voice. "Was told to me by Sensei a while ago. I was little, but I remember how it goes."

Straightening up a bit, Leonardo turned so that he was facing his sister figure- and the story began.

"Once, a scorpion needed to cross a stream. He asked a frog to take him across on his back," he said, elaborating. Maus leaned forward, sitting up.

"Why would a scorpion need to cross a stream?" she questioned. Leonardo shrugged, bemused.

"It's part of the story," he answered.

"But how do they talk?" she pressed, ears swiveling as her moony eyes searched for answers.

"It's a fable. Animals can talk in fables," he said simply. Satisfied, she leaned back and listened.

"The frog said, 'How do I know you won't sting me?'

The scorpion promised he wouldn't do such a thing, so the frog agreed to carry him across the stream. Halfway across, the frog felt a burning pain in his back. The scorpion had stung him."

"Why would he do that?" she hissed, eyes narrowing as if Leonardo himself were the scorpion. The older turtle smiled.

"You'll find out," he promised, nodding at her.

"But he promised."

"Hush- you'll see."

"Mmph."

"As he succumbed to the poison and he and the scorpion began to sink, the frog cried out, 'Why did you do that? Now we will both perish.' and the scorpion responded," I do that because it's my nature,'" Leo whispered, leaning back as he concluded the tale. Bleary and tired, Maus couldn't even formulate what two plus two was in her head- and so this made no sense to her. She frowned.

"That story sucked," she stated frankly, lying down. Leo blinked.

"Why?" he asked. "I like it. It's one of my favorites, actually."

The rodent shrugged.

"The both of them died. And the scorpion was mean and broke his promise- it sucked," she explained, closing her eyes. Leonardo tried again, sighing.

"Fables have morals at the end, Maus. It has deep meaning," he stated, shrugging. The hedge-girl let out a sound of disapproval.

"Mmph. Well deep meaning or not, now I'm going to dream about dead animals- thanks."

Leonardo stifled a chuckle and stood, patting her head soothingly as he inched his way to the door.

"You'll understand one day," he whispered. Maus scoffed.

"Good night, Maus," he said softly, closing the door behind him as he watched her go limp and sink into the blankets.

It was high time for him to get some sleep of his own.

And maybe think of better stories.

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**_Hope you guys like it! It's my first time writing a TMNT/OC fic. And I'm writing this at like twelve AM, so don't expect it to be amazing. My own insomnia inspired me. XD some brotherly/sisterly love between Leo and Mausy. I don't own the TMNT, and this was meant solely for entertainment. Comments and reviews are appreciated!_**


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